Foreign Exchange: Three questions with Dustyn Richardson of Bayou City Soccer
Copa Tejas is upon us! To help herald it in, we talk to one of our favorite folks covering the Dynamo to get perspective on this Walmart Saturday Showdown.
Copa Tejas is upon us!
This week's Walmart Saturday Showdown — which will give us, among other things, Andrew Wiebe doing sideline reporting for those of you watching on Apple TV rather than being in-stadium — features Austin FC hosting Houston Dynamo FC in Verde's first Copa Tejas match of the year.
In a season in which Verde's already eliminated for U.S. Open Cup contention, and with their MLS Cup hopes (and, indeed, playoff qualification) dimming, it might be time to revive the "Copa Tejas is a real trophy worth winning" conversation.
In the meantime, Houston — currently the last West team to make the 2026 playoffs, were the season to end today — has started the season with a 4W 4L 0D record and a somewhat reconfigured lineup.
To get at the 2026 edition of the rivalry a little more, Dustyn Richardson from Bayou City Soccer reached out, and I provided him with answers to his questions, and then he returned the favor.
To the questions!
Guilherme appears to be the best signing of the Dynamo's offseason (and with five goals and four assists so far, maybe one of the best offseason pickups in all of MLS). How would you describe his game, and if you were coaching against him, what would you do to try to slow or stop him?
Guilherme has surprised everyone with just how good he has been. There were a lot of questions about how good he could be and if he was worth being a designated player. He's proved the doubters wrong, so far. He's very good on the ball and he's got the flair that Brazilians seem to be born with. He's much quicker than he seems and he's good at creating for himself and others. He took a knock in Wednesday's win over San Diego so that may be one way to slow him down.
If he does play on Saturday, I think you have to cut off service to him. He's going to want to get the ball and cut inside off the left so keeping him from getting the ball is key to minimizing his effect on the game.
Hector Herrera's back! That was a little surprising to see; how much is he really contributing, and what deficiencies in the team is he shoring up?
Herrera's biggest addition is his leadership. Ben Olsen and Herrera have a very good relationship and he's almost like another coach on the staff. He started in the wins over El Paso, in U.S. Open Cup, and Orlando and scored the winner in that match. He's showing he still has class and the ability to lift a team. He seems to help this Dynamo team slow things down and play with more poise and stability. We'll see how long he can keep these minutes up (he just turned 36 last weekend) but it seems Olsen is going to lean on Herrera as much as possible this season.
It's still relatively early in the season, but Houston's been right on the playoff line, and if the playoffs started today, would travel to Frisco for the play-in game. Based on what you've seen so far, will Houston finish in or out of the playoffs, and why?
This Dynamo team feels talented enough to be in the playoffs, so I'll say they finish in the postseason. They still seem to be figuring a lot of things out, and Olsen has said as much. They started the season with a back three but have shifted in the last week to more of a 4-4-2 and it looks to have solved some of their defensive deficiencies.
With the big DP signings of Guilherme and Mateusz Bogusz, this team should be making the playoffs. If they can solidify the defense in the summer, I think they can push for a top four seed.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez saw Wednesday night's contest as two different matches. Brad Stuver saw it as a frustrating match in which his 11 saves didn't matter.
Austin FC got out to an early lead against San Jose on Wednesday night. That wouldn't last, leading to Verde's most lopsided loss of the season so far.
The Quakes are off to one of the best starts in MLS this season. A reporter who knows them better than most explains their success, as well as what fans think of head coach Bruce Arena.
Copa Tejas is upon us!
This week's Walmart Saturday Showdown — which will give us, among other things, Andrew Wiebe doing sideline reporting for those of you watching on Apple TV rather than being in-stadium — features Austin FC hosting Houston Dynamo FC in Verde's first Copa Tejas match of the year.
In a season in which Verde's already eliminated for U.S. Open Cup contention, and with their MLS Cup hopes (and, indeed, playoff qualification) dimming, it might be time to revive the "Copa Tejas is a real trophy worth winning" conversation.
In the meantime, Houston — currently the last West team to make the 2026 playoffs, were the season to end today — has started the season with a 4W 4L 0D record and a somewhat reconfigured lineup.
To get at the 2026 edition of the rivalry a little more, Dustyn Richardson from Bayou City Soccer reached out, and I provided him with answers to his questions, and then he returned the favor.
To the questions!
Guilherme appears to be the best signing of the Dynamo's offseason (and with five goals and four assists so far, maybe one of the best offseason pickups in all of MLS). How would you describe his game, and if you were coaching against him, what would you do to try to slow or stop him?
Guilherme has surprised everyone with just how good he has been. There were a lot of questions about how good he could be and if he was worth being a designated player. He's proved the doubters wrong, so far. He's very good on the ball and he's got the flair that Brazilians seem to be born with. He's much quicker than he seems and he's good at creating for himself and others. He took a knock in Wednesday's win over San Diego so that may be one way to slow him down.
If he does play on Saturday, I think you have to cut off service to him. He's going to want to get the ball and cut inside off the left so keeping him from getting the ball is key to minimizing his effect on the game.
Hector Herrera's back! That was a little surprising to see; how much is he really contributing, and what deficiencies in the team is he shoring up?
Herrera's biggest addition is his leadership. Ben Olsen and Herrera have a very good relationship and he's almost like another coach on the staff. He started in the wins over El Paso, in U.S. Open Cup, and Orlando and scored the winner in that match. He's showing he still has class and the ability to lift a team. He seems to help this Dynamo team slow things down and play with more poise and stability. We'll see how long he can keep these minutes up (he just turned 36 last weekend) but it seems Olsen is going to lean on Herrera as much as possible this season.
It's still relatively early in the season, but Houston's been right on the playoff line, and if the playoffs started today, would travel to Frisco for the play-in game. Based on what you've seen so far, will Houston finish in or out of the playoffs, and why?
This Dynamo team feels talented enough to be in the playoffs, so I'll say they finish in the postseason. They still seem to be figuring a lot of things out, and Olsen has said as much. They started the season with a back three but have shifted in the last week to more of a 4-4-2 and it looks to have solved some of their defensive deficiencies.
With the big DP signings of Guilherme and Mateusz Bogusz, this team should be making the playoffs. If they can solidify the defense in the summer, I think they can push for a top four seed.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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